Two-phase spray system for filling tanks



Sept. 5, 1967 E. M. SCHLUMBERGER 3,339,347

TWO-PHASE SPRAY SYSTEM FOR FILLING TANKS Filed April 28, 1965 E fienneMSchlumbe 'g yf z 4 ifl-uk ATTORNEY 3,339,847 TWO-PHASE SPRAY SYSTEM FORFILLING TANKS Etienne Maurice Schlumberger, Boulogne-sur-Seine, France,assignor to Conch International Methane Limited, Nassau, Bahamas, aBahamian company Filed Apr. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 451,557 Claims priority,application Great Britain, June 26, 1964, 26,465/ 64 6 Claims. (Cl.239-413) This invention relates to spraying devices particularlysuitable for spraying gas and liquid phase systems.

For various application, for example the filling of a liquefied gasreservoir, it is necessary to spray the liquefied gas either mainly as aliquid or as a mixture of gas and liquid. In the past difiiculties havebeen experienced because for example particles of dirt have blocked thefine spray holes, or the liquefied gas has boiled resulting in pocketsof gas in the system leading to difiiculties when a mainly liquid streamis required.

Such difliculties can be overcome by the use of the device of thisinvention comprising a header, at least one spray nozzle connected tothe header communicating the interior of the header with the exteriorthereof, a constriction inside the nozzle restricting the flow of fluidtherethrough, and a passageway communicating the interior of the nozzledownstream of the constriction with the fluid space in the headeroutside said nozzle.

Provided this header is mounted in the correct position as will beexplained later, merely by maintaining a constant pressure on the fluidflowing into the header and by altering the rate of flow of fluidthrough the header it is possible to arrange for fluid to be sprayedmainly as as a liquid or as a mixture of liquid and gas.

The header, i.e., the pipe or conduit through which the fluid isdistributed, is preferably provided with a plurality of nozzles. Thus,if it is desired to spray a large area the header may be a large ringprovided with nozzles at intervals along its length. Alternatively ofcourse when it is desired to spray a large area one could use severalstraight headers which may be arranged in two series of parallel rows,one series being transverse to the other.

The nozzle, which must be longer than its cross-sectional diameter orgreatest cross-sectional dimension, may have one spray hole or series ofspray holes through which the fluid can be sprayed. The nozzlepreferably passes through an aperture in the wall of the header and issealingly connected to the header. If desired however, the nozzle may besituated externally of the header, one end of the nozzle terminating inan aperture in the wall of the header. Alternatively of course, thenozzle could be housed right inside the header with the spray hole orholes of the nozzle cooperating with a hole or holes in the wall of theheader.

The nozzle must be provided with a constriction, so that fluid enteringthe nozzle will be throttled, and the reduced pressure in the nozzlewill cause fluid to be sucked in from the header to the interior of thenozzle through the passageway. The constriction may conveniently besituated at the end of the nozzle, where the fluid from the header firstenters the nozzle. It may however be situated some way inside thenozzle, although there must be suflicient distance between the sprayhole or holes and the constriction so that there is suflicientthrottling for fluid to be sucked into the nozzle through thepassageway.

Except when the nozzle is situated externally of the header, thepassageway is preferably an aperture in the wall of the nozzle becausethis is usually the simplest form of passageway. In some cases however,it may be preferable for the passageway to be a small pipe passingthrough the nozzle and constriction therein, one end of United StatesPatent Patented Sept. 5, 1967 the pipe terminating in the fluid space inthe header outside the nozzle, and the other end terminating inside thenozzle downstream of the constriction. This type of passageway should beused when the nozzle is situated externally of the header. In this case,however, care will have to be taken to ensure that the bore of the pipeis not so small that capilliary effects cause difliculties or that thepipe is so wide that it is difficult to obtain any appreciableconstriction in the nozzle.

In order that the device of this invention shall be suitable forspraying a gas and liquid phase system in either a mainly liquid stateor as a mixture of liquid and gas, it is necessary for the header to bemounted in the substantially horizontal position. It is also necessaryfor the nozzle to be arranged so that the inlet from the header into thepassageway is below the end of the nozzle which communicates with thefluid space of the header. This latter requirement means that if it isdesired to spray fluid upwards, the nozzle must either be bent so thatthe nozzle is U- or L-shaped, or the passageway must be a separate pipe.

When it is desired to spray a mixture of gas and liquid, a-fter fixingthe fluid pressure in the header, the flow of liquid is adjusted so thatthe liquid level is below that end of the nozzle communicating with thefluid space of the header. This means that when a mixture of liquid andgas is pumped into the header substantially only gas will enter thenozzle, the gas will be throttled and suck in liquid through thepassageway. The spray therefore will be a mixture of gas and liquid.

When it is desired to spray mainly liquid, the flow of liquid isincreased so that the liquid level in the header is above the end of thenozzle communicating with the fluid space of the header. This means thatsubstantially only liquid will enter the nozzle, and also that onlyliquid will be sucked in through the passageway. The spray thereforewill be mainly liquid.

The device of this invention is particularly suitable for spraying aliquefied gas, that is a liquid which at atmospheric pressure boilsbelow ambient temperature. When spraying very cold liquefied gases suchas liquid methane, or liquid ethylene, the components of the spraydevice, i.e., header and nozzle, should be made of materials which donot become embrittled at low temperatures, e.g., metals such asstainless steel or aluminum. The device may however be used for othergas and liquid phase systems, e.g., boiling liquids such as water andsteam, or mixtures of liquid and gas such as water andair.

The invention is now described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of a spray device taken throughone of the nozzles;

FIG. 2 shows an arrangement for operating the spray device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional elevation taken through one of thenozzles of an alternative spray device to that shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 shows an arrangement for using the invention to fill a reservoirwith liquid natural gas.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the horizontally mounted header 1is provided with a number of nozzles, one of which is shown at 2. Thisnozzle has a spray hole 3, and at the other end a constriction 4. In thelower portion of the nozzle there is an aperture 5 providing directcommunication between the interior 6 of the nozzle and the fluid space 7in the header outside the nozzle. When it is desired to spray a mixtureof gas and liquid, the liquid level is set below the constriction 4 inthe nozzle, say at level 8. When however it is desired to spray mainlyliquid, the liquid level is set higher above the constriction 4, say atlevel 9.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, liquefied gas in the liquidcondition is pumped along line whilst liquefied gas in the gaseouscondition is pumped along line 11. The mixture of liquid and gas thenenters the header 1 via line 12.

The gas pressure in line 11 is controlled by a pressure controller 13which automatically controls valve 14. The liquid flow rate in line 10is controlled by the flowrate controller 15. This controller 15 can beset to the desired rate of flow and by means of the differential orifice16 automatically controls the flow of liquid through the valve 17according to the predetermined rate. Thus, when liquid is pumped alongline 10 and gas along line 11, the mixture enters line 12. If therelative rates of flow of liquid and gas are such that the liquid levelin the header 1 is below the end of the nozzle, say level 8, then thespray will be a mixture of liquid and gas, and will continue to be atwo-phase mixture so long as the liquid level in the header is below theend of the nozzle, i.e., below level 8a. If however relatively moreliquid is pumped along line 10 so that the liquid level in the header 1rises above the level 8a, up to level 9 for example, then only liquidpasses through the constriction in the nozzle, and the spray is mainlyliquid.

Thus the device automatically adjusts itself and sprays either a mixtureof liquid and gas, or mainly only liquid according to the level ofliquid in the header. If it is desired to change the composition of thespray then the rate of flow of the liquid is altered, and the flow ratecontroller 15 adjusted to a new setting.

Referring to FIG. 3 of the drawings, the nozzle 21 is connectedexternally to the header 20. The nozzle has a spray hole 22 and aconstriction 23. A small pipe 24 passing through the constriction 23connects the interior of the nozzle 25 with the fluid zone 26 in theheader 20. Two suitable liquid levels are shown at 27 and 28 providing aspray of gas and liquid, and the one at 28 providing a mainly liquidspray.

FIG. 4 shows the invention used to fill an in-ground storage reservoir30 provided with the customary automatically controlled venting outlet31 and means for withdrawing liquid gas, indicated as a, pipe 32, theother elements being indicated by the same reference characters asbefore.

It will be apparent that the embodiments shown are only exemplary andthat various modifications can be made in construction and arrangementwithin the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device suitable for spraying a single phase or two phase fluid,comprising a header, means for maintaining liquid at a substantiallyconstant controlled level in said header, at least one spray nozzlehaving an inlet end and an outlet end connected to the headercommunicating the interior of the header with the exterior thereof, aconstriction within the nozzle upstream of said outlet end restrictingthe flow of fluid therethrough and a passageway communicating theinterior of the nozzle downstream of the constriction with the liquid inthe header outside said nozzle, and means for adjusting the constantliquid level in the header from a level below the inlet end of saidspray nozzle to a level above the inlet end to thereby control the typeof spray emitted by the nozzle.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the header is provided with aplurality of nozzles.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the passageway is a smallpipe passing through the nozzle and constriction therein, one end of thepipe terminating in the liquid in the header outside the nozzle, and theother end terminating inside the nozzle downstream of the constriction.

4. Means for filling a liquefied gas reservoir comprising (a) agenerally horizontal header within the reservoir,

(b) means for supplying pressure gas to the header at a constantpressure,

(0) means for supplying liquid to the header at a predetermined rate offlow to maintain a constant liquid level in the header,

(d) at least one spray nozzle exterior of the header and communicatingwith the interior of the header by a tubular member,

(e) a restricted passageway in said tubular member providing a region ofreduced pressure within the tubular member during fluid flow throughsaid passageway,

(f) and a second passageway in said tubular member leading from belowthe liquid level in the header to said region of reduced pressure fordrawing liquid from the header into the tubular member and through thespray nozzle, said spray nozzle being below the liquid level in theheader.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, said restricted passageway beinglocated above the level of liquid in the header, so that the pressuregas passes through the restricted passageway.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, there being a plurality of such spraynozzles and tubular members, all similarly arranged with respect to theliquid level in the header.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,722 8/1906 Dorment 239371 X1,198,886 9/1916 Bresee et a1. 239458 2,240,013 4/1941 Gale 239-413 X2,966,312 12/1960 Wilson et al. 26178 X 2,998,934 9/1961 BrOughton239550 X 3,073,529 l/l963 Baker 239-106 X 3,311,305 3/1967 Crownover239-364 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,615 1913 Great Britain.

11,274 1895 Great Britain.

205,495 8/1924 Great Britain.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

VAN C. WILKS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A DEVICE SUITABLE FOR SPRAYING A SINGLE PHASE OR TWO PHASE FLUID,COMPRISING A HEADER, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING LIQUID AT A SUBSTANTIALLYCONSTANT CONTROLLED LEVEL IN SAID HEADER, AT LEAST ONE SPRAY NOZZLEHAVING AN INLET END AND AN OUTLET END CONNECTED TO THE HEADERCOMMUNICATING THE INTERIOR OF THE HEADER WITH THE EXTERIOR THEREOF, ACONSTRICTION WITHIN THE NOZZLE UPSTREAM OF SAID OUTLET END RESTRICTINGTHE FLOW OF FLUID THERETHROUGH AND A PASSAGEWAY COMMUNICATING THEINTERIOR OF THE NOZZLE DOWNSTREAM OF THE CONSTRICTION WITH THE LIQUID INTHE HEADER OUTSIDE SAID NOZZLE, AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE CONSTANTLIQUID LEVEL IN THE HEADER FROM A LEVEL BELOW THE INLET END OF SAIDSPRAY NOZZLE TO A LEVEL ABOVE THE INLET END TO THEREBY CONTROL THE TYPEOF SPRAY EMITTED BY THE NOZZLE.